housing support products
helps young people to address barriers of accessing or keeping housing.
what are housing support products?
Housing Support Products (HSPs) are a suite of financial products that support young people with housing related costs to secure and maintain accommodation. We have extended HSPs to cover more housing situations that Residential Tenancies Act 1986 (RTA) doesn’t apply to, like some boarding and flatting arrangements, cabins, relocatable homes and caravans. These situations are referred to as a Non-RTA.
table of housing support products
|
HSP Product |
Available for RTA Housing arrangements |
Available for Non-RTA Housing arrangements |
Income and Asset Tested |
Recoverable |
|
Bond Grant |
✔️ |
❌ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
|
Accommodation Security Cover Grant |
❌ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
|
Moving Costs Grant |
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
|
Accommodation in Advance Grant |
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
|
Accommodation Arrears Grant |
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
✔️ |
|
Tenancy Costs Cover Grant |
✔️ |
❌ |
❌ |
✔️ |
|
Transition to Alternative Housing Grant |
✔️ |
❌ |
❌ |
❌ |
the young person's housing need and financial situation
Talk to the young perosn to find out:
- Why does the young person need financial support for housing now? Have they had to pay for something essential (car repairs, fridge) and been left without money for housing related costs?
- How much financial assistance do they need and how much can they repay over time?
check if the young person is getting everything they're entitled to
Before you apply for housing assistance, it's important to confirm that the young person is receiving their Full and Correct Entitlement (FACE).
AND
Request an update in ART if the young person's details or circumstances have changed (are they caring for an extra child/family member? have their paid work hours changed?)
documents needed
- Tenancy Costs Cover form (if requesting TCC)
- Transition to Alternative Housing form (TTAH), if requesting TTAH
- Proof of the young person's costs and/or expense(s)
- Accommodation agreement
- Any other supporting documents to support this application.
how to apply for housing support products
- create a ‘hardship’ task in ART
- select ‘Housing Support Product (HSP)’
- complete all questions in template and attach any supporting documents
- YSSU will review the application and get back to you with an outcome or request for further information.
Before applying for HSP, you must negotiate a repayment plan with the young person. For example, if they borrow $250 for rent in advance they’ll pay back $2.40 a week for two years.
bond grant
If the young person has received a Bond Grant before, you should check why it hasn’t been transferred or refunded.
Advise the young person that the bond from a previous tenancy may be transferred to a new landlord by Tenancy Services. This will mean that the young person won’t get in more debt to MSD.
When the bond is paid directly to the landlord, advise the young person that:
- the landlord is legally required to send the bond to Tenancy Services
- Tenancy Services must then send the client notice that they have received the bond
- if the young person does not receive notice they should check with the landlord and Tenancy Services.
Note an advance of bond or rent cannot be paid directly to Tenancy Services.
Eligibility: RTA only
Payment type: recoverable
Maximum grant: 4 weeks actual rent (no $ limit), so long as the person can afford the weekly rent
Entitlement: twice per 52-week period for individuals and couples, unless exceptional circumstances exist
accommodation security cover grant
Accommodation Security Cover Grant
Assistance to obtain or retain accommodation, by providing assurance to accommodation suppliers that any outstanding accommodation costs will be covered, if owed at the end of the accommodation agreement.
Eligibility: Non-RTA housing situations only
Payment type: recoverable
Maximum grant: 4 weeks actual rent (no $ limit), so long as the person can afford the weekly rent
Entitlement: twice per 52-week period for individuals and couples, unless exceptional circumstances exist
moving costs grant / accommodation moving costs grant
Payment to help with the costs of physically moving household belongings into a new tenancy (from your old house or elsewhere) for people who can’t meet this cost themselves.
Eligibility: Both RTA and Non-RTA
Payment type: recoverable
Maximum grant: $1,500 unless exceptional circumstances exist
Entitlement: twice per 52-week period for individuals and couples up to $1,500 total per 52-week period (if you get $1,500 for the first grant you are not entitled to another), unless exceptional circumstances exist
rent in advance grant / accommodation costs in advance grant
A payment towards the cost of accommodation in advance at the start of a tenancy for people who can’t meet this cost themselves.
Eligibility: Both RTA and Non-RTA housing situations
Payment type: recoverable HSP
Maximum grant: 2 weeks actual rent (no $ limit), so long as the person can afford the weekly rent
Entitlement: twice per 52-week period for individuals and couples, unless exceptional circumstances exist
rent arrears grant / accommodation costs arrears grant
A payment towards the cost of overdue accommodation costs for people who are at risk of losing their accommodation and can’t meet this cost themselves.
Eligibility: Both RTA and Non-RTA housing situations
Payment type: recoverable
Maximum grant: 4 weeks actual rent (no $ limit), so long as the person can afford the weekly rent
Entitlement: twice per 52-week period for individuals and couples, unless exceptional circumstances exist
tenancy costs cover
Assurance given to landlords who let their property to an eligible person if that person owes the landlord for costs at the end of the tenancy above the bond, MSD will contribute to those outstanding costs (up to a maximum amount).
Eligibility: RTA only
Payment type: recoverable
Maximum grant: 4 weeks of a person’s rent, calculated based on the rent at the start of the tenancy
Entitlement: payment of TCC up to twice in a 52-week period for individuals and couples unless exceptional circumstances exist.
Duration of cover: up to 24 months
transition to alternative housing grant
A one-off payment to incentivise people who can move out of public housing and into a private rental.
Eligibility: RTA only
Payment: non-recoverable HSP
Maximum: $3000 one-off payment
Entitlement: one grant per person per lifetime, divided equally between the eligible tenants if more than one tenant – minor change to entitlement so that eligibility is based on individual circumstances (this means that if one or more tenants has received this grant before, the other tenants are still eligible, so long as the whole household is moving out of public housing).